PUTTING MY KIDS FIRST ALSO INVOLVES GETTING THE RIGHT FURNITURE PIECES

 

Good morning everyone. Thank you for checking out my blog today. I am very happy to see you here. Today, I wanted to share a story with you about how I got my new furniture and why. If you have kids you know that they are curious, messy and can be destructive. So, my last dining set had cloth lining on the chairs and it was always difficult to keep them clean. I couldn't even start explaining how tiring it got for me to always have to scrub the mess they leave after their meals. To be frank with you, I don't want to spend hours cleaning my dining set after only a few minutes of dinner, breakfast or lunch on it. I started researching a great option for a mama with kids. A few months prior, my living room set was replaced because the kids broke the couch and also soiled it with uncleanable food stains.

Well, I thought that getting a new set with leather seats would be perfect because all I'd have to do is get a damp cloth and wipe it off after each meal. 

One day, I came across a nice set while browsing  the internet. I saved the image of it and had it printed off at Walmart and placed it on my vision board. I went by American Signature Furniture to see if I could find the one I had on my vision board, to my surprise, I found what I was looking for. I made a downpayment on it and decided I would go back and pick it up. 

After about a couple of months, I was finally ready to go back and pick it up. It turned out the table I wanted initially was no longer available but I didn't get discouraged. I looked around for a replacement and found another tampered round glass table with wood base. It looked perfect. It turned out the chairs that came with this table were not available. I chose a couple of chairs from the previous table I had wanted and the two that they had that came with the new table. 

Day of pickup, I was told my stuff was not avialable but I asked what day they had advised to come by and pick up on my receipt, they confirmed it was that same day that I was there for pickup. It also turned out that the chairs they had available were the ones I had on my vision board. It was crazy to me that everything aligned and I got the very same chairs I wanted. These chairs are easy to clean and after each meal, I spend about 45 seconds cleaning, instead of the whole hour. 

Even my kids love the new set.

 

Now there's less mess for this happy mama to clean and she is not complaining at all.

Don't let anybody steal your joy!

Maryam

WHY THINGS HAVE CHANGED FOR ME

 

Good morning everyone. Welcome to Maryamsjoyfullife. It is very amazing to have you all here. It is a very good morning and I feel honored to be making a post today. I hope you are all doing great and as I always say; don't let anyone steal your joy.

Today, I wanted to talk about perseverance. Perseverance is a very important virture for us all to have because it is in it that we find hope in difficult times and the faith to believe that what God has promised us will manifest in our lives for His glory. I man very aware of the power of perseverance in my personal life because I have been through many rough and hard times but because of the spirit of perseverance, I have overcome every single one of them. 

When unexpected difficulties showup, you always have a choice to make. You can either run from it or face it. Regardless of which you face, there are consequencies. A word of caution though, whatever you run away from, will always chase you down. Don't be afraid of difficult times, face them with the hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Believe God for what you want and start acting like it is on the way and will reach you sooner than you expect it. The focus is expectation. Let your heart be filled with the joyful expectation of the good you want and I promise you, you will see it manifest in a miraculous way. 

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

RECAPPING LAST WEEKS INSTAGRAM POSTS

 

Hello everyone. Thank you for checking out Maryamsjoyfullife. It is a great day today and I am grateful for everyone of you. So in today's blog is a recap of last week. I really enjoyed working with www.oceanglamboutique.com.  If you follow me on Instagram, you would ahve already seen the pictures I posted. So for those who didn't see the pictures, here we go. 

I hope you all have an amazing week!

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

NO MORE TRASH IS ALLOWED IN MY QUEENDOM

What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Hope this blog meets you well. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for stopping by today.

So why is change a good thing? I just wanted to cover change today because I know that I have changed in a very big way and I love it. In the past, I used to be so people focussed that I neglected my own needs. I would be the first to sacrifice my happiness for someone else to be happy but no more. I realized that no matter how much I sacrificed, it didn't change the situation neither did it make the people I sacrificed for treat me any better. Then I came to another realization that if I met people's needs by neglecting mine, I am bringing myself down and so would be treated as though I was nothing special. Thank God for the spirit of revelation and discernment. I am treating myself better and not sacrificing my happiness for NO ONE! I am still loving but no more a fool.

The clothes I am wearing here are from my friend; Shandela's boutique: www.oceanglamboutique.com She has a variety of clothes for all sizes and styles. Check her out today. If you live in Georgia, visit her physical store at Southside Discount Mall, Suite F1.

Life gets sweeter when you no longer live compulsively but consciously. I am really realizing the power in keeping my peace and treating myself better. And now, the better I treat myself the better others get to treat me. I just constantly remind myself that I am pretty bomb and should allow myself to be treated like the Queen that I am. So, I said this all to encourage you to change how you see and treat yourself and others will change how they treat and see you. You are one of a kind type of amazing and sweet.

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT PRINCIPAL PAYTON ||MICHELLE OBAMA STEM ELEMENTARY ACADEMY

What’s up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for checking out Maryam’s Joyful Life today, I appreciate you. 

So, my sweet Zozo and I often go to pick up Levy (my sweet baby boy) from school and I often notice how involved the Principal is in everything. Like I see her moving cones, guiding kids to their parents and helping her staff out and it inspires me. Here’s a leader who has a lot on her plate already, yet she is involved with tasks that most leaders in her capacity would not do. Her commitment is extraordinary and for that I am grateful. 

It’s amazing to see a female leader lead with such passion and complete involvement. 

I have no doubt that she lives a fulfilled life from the way she expresses her involvement even in the littlest tasks. And that my friends,  is what I am learning to do with my life. Life is in the livingness of it, one simple task at a time, with a joyful abandon.

Don’t let anyone steal your joy 🤩 

Maryam

MY SON WAS NAMED STUDENT OF THE MONTH

 

Good evening, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. It is October and I am wishing everyone of you all the best that this month has to offer. Thank you for being a part of Maryamsjoyfullife. 

I am very hopeful for all the amazing things in store for me and my children in this amazing month. September was a good month and it ended on a pleasant note for me and my children. 

So, my sweet baby boy was named student of the month in September and I am thrilled. Getting the news of his performance and attitude in school was no surprise to me because I take pride in raising my kids with a sense of pride in doing their work on time and paying attention to their environment. I have and still spend time teaching them outside of the classroom because I believe education is a collective action. Your home is always the breeding ground for success or chaos. Knowing that, I thrive to promote a joyful, happy and learning environment for my kids at home. 

The teachers are proud of Le'Veon's attitude and that makes me happy because it shows that the time I spend on him is producing results. I am proud of my baby boy and know that this is only one of many accolades he and his sister are set to get. 

Watch our latest video:

Life is all about love and presence. What I mean by this expression is, you can't expect something when you haven't planted the seed. The reason I am so joyful and always thrive is because I take it upon myself to plant joyful seeds in my mind and environment. I want my kids to live joyful and conscious lives. The hypnotic way of life of the world is not the way I want to go neither is it the way I want for my kids. With that being said, I want to encourage parents reading this to take pride in spending time with their children. Spend time to teach them the basics of life and show them appreciation for taking their studies and work seriously. Take time to encourage them and let them know that they are the best not in comparison to others but just for being who they are and then follow through with showing them the pieces that help them thrive.

In the mean time, for as long as I live, it is my promise to God and myself that I will give my best to my kids. After all, they have to be the best version of me and themselves. 

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

QUESTIONS FROM MY KIDS AND HOW I RESPOND

 

Good morning wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Thank you all for checking out my blog today. I am very happy to be blogging today.

So, this is about having smart, loud, lovely and oversabe(Nigerian experession for "know it all") kids. Have you ever found yourself in a jury but it's really not a real jury trial? I am talking about one where you are sitting peacefully and a group of 5 year olds and 3 year olds come to you uninvited asking you questions they know they answer to? Well, if you haven't, let me tell you about my life then. I only have two kids but I might as well have 10 LOL. My kids are like me and it gets pretty annoying to a point of laughter. Hahah. I am sitting over here eating my rice (yes, I love rice LOL), my oversabe kids come walking to me asking what I am doing. I have now developed a strategy and it is a response that gets them each time. When they ask me what I am doing, I tell them "I am upstairs taking a shower," LOL. They laugh out loud at my response and and Then they add "No mama, you are at the dining room eating rice." After which I add, "you know what I am doing and you are still asking me what I am doing? Next thing they do is say "Mama, you are upstairs taking a shower," and they burst out laughing at the joke too. It baffles me how good of a humor my babies have at these tender ages. Their ability to understand our environment makes me wonder if I was like this when I was their age.

    Watch our latest video: 

Of course, I end up laughing with them too and the questions continue. I have also learned to ignore them too. This mama's head has a lot of commitment and planning most days but my kids bring the joy to each moment and I love it. Life is truly fun and joyful with my little ones. 

I hope I made you laugh today.

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

I THOUGHT THEY SHUT ME OUT

What’s up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you’re all having a great day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to maryamsjoyfullife. It’s a beautiful day!

Have you ever felt like you were ganged up against and was not aware of it, in time to plan your response? Well, I have and earlier today felt like it. I was ready to get to work and bring amazing service to my guests but my computer said I didn’t have access to my portal. The old me would have freaked out and wondered what I did wrong. But not this new me. I tried all the steps I knew to try. I also reached out to my business associates to find out if there was a global outage. I did all of this with a calm mind. I kept noticing myself respond in a very composed fashion and it intrigued me. 

While I was waiting for a response, I didn’t  panic or worry myself to death. 

Within a few minutes, I received multiple responses advising of a global tech issue with my company and that made me smile.

I was relieved knowing the issue had nothing to do with me but a global issue.

Here’s a lesson I learned, if you don’t control your mind, circumstances and people will control it for you. There’s always two ways to act if something unexpected happens; react and worry or respond and stay calm. When you choose to respond, you do so with full control over your mind and a wonderful solution is reached.

I could never have developed this ability without meditation.

If you’ve never mediated, try starting because it does wonders.

Have a great weekend!

Don’t let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

MY FAMILY DINNER AT CARRABBAS ITALIAN GRILL|| RESTAURANT REVIEW

 

Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Today is a beautiful day and life is always working for me even when it rains and I am soaked by it, it is always working for me lol.

Last Sunday, my sweet babies and I went to Carrabbas Italian Grill in Peachtree City, Georgia. I had presented the idea to my babies a few weeks earlier and they were down with it. So we made our trip to Carrabbas after church service last Sunday. I must say that it was an amazing experience. The food and people were amazing. The atmosphere is very family oriented. I loved the booth we were seated. My kids had an amazing time.

 We ordered some steak, mashed potatoes. Meatballs and pasta and some fries. I really enjoyed my meal. My picky eater; Levy, ate his food too. I asked him if he would love to go back, he said yes. When Levy gives his approval, you know it is really good. My Zozo could not wait to dig into her food too. Zozo who is my amazing eater and food reviewer, when she was asked if she approved of Carrabbas, she said yes. 

I would like to encourage you to try them out in your city if you haven't already been and I believe that you too, will enjoy the food and service.

Here's a video of our experience:

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

AT OUR HOTEL GETAWAY THEY WANTED BISCUITS AND SAUSAGES|| FAIRFIELD INN AND SUITES

 

Good evening, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Hope this blog meets you well. It's such a pleasure to be able to share another blog with you all on this beautiful Sunday evening in Hampton, Georgia.

Last week, my sweet babies and I took a much needed break from home for a short getaway in Buckhead, Atlanta. I was excited about it and so were my babies. Of course I asked them what they were looking forward to and they said the indoor pool. My kids love the swimming pool and they didn't get that from me. I am from the Sahara dessert okay? Lol... I didn't go near a pool until I was 15 years old. 

f tea. 

The name of the hotel we stayed at is Fairfield Inns and Suites by Marriott in Buckhead, Atlanta. I loved the location of the hotel and the staff were friendly. The kids and I had a blast at the swimming pool. The depth was 3ft deep and it was perfect. My son had a blast. I think one of the best things about the hotel is the indoor pool. The price is fair and worth it also. Loved parking on site and it was only $12 per day. What?! 

Breakfast was complimentary and that's amazing because not every hotel offers that. Here comes what I want to share with you today. So the morning before we checked out, we went to eat breakfast. My kids asked for biscuits and sausages. I advised them that we would have to eat what the hotel had for us, as this  was not our home. I don't think they understood what I was explaining but they kindly accepted it. The hotel's selection of breakfast food was not bad but I wished they had warm eggs, sausages and biscuits. They had some frozen sandwiches but they are not the same as fresh. My kids got to see first hand how different breakfast can be else where, for the first time. They finally settled for breakfast muffins and orange juice. While I ate a little bit of the frozen sandwich and drank a hot cup of deca

If I could suggest one thing for the Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriot at Buckhead, Atlanta, to improve on, it would be to make warm eggs, biscuits and sausages available for families. Maybe I'm being partial because that's what I make my kids every morning lol. 

Have you ever just taken yourself and family for a short getaway? If not, give it a try. It does wonders.

I felt refreshed to go back to work when we got back from our getaway. Now we are looking forward to another getaway.

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

DRAMA UNFORGIVENESS AND RESENTMENT ARE A TRAP

 

Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. I hope this blog meets you well. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you all for stopping by today. It is a beautiful Saturday. I am feeling super energized and pomped to get a lot done today.

Hope you are feeling as great as you want to today.

The secret of happiness to me is living a life free of regrets, resentment, drama and unforgiveness. Times when I have entertained these emotions, I couldn't sleep at night and couldn't eat my food. If you have been my follower for a while, you know I love my food. These emotions of unforgiveness, resentment and drama keep you swimming in the mud of negative energy and feelings. Quite honestly, I hate feeling that way. I have always loved the feeling of joy and the energy that I derive from it. That is why I make that decision everyday to focus on the good and cut off every negative cord of hate, drama and unforgiveness connecting me to anyone. 

I love feeling good because feeling good comes from thinking good thoughts. Do you love feeling good? I hope you do. I am constantly filling my mind with good thoughts because feeling good is important to me.

 Here's where you come in, if you are not feeling good in your body right now, I encourage you to replace the thoughts in your mind with something pleasant. If this is hard for you, heres' another suggestion; count your blessings. Gratitude is the fastest way to change your mood. Recall something nice that happened in your life that brought you a lot of joy and capture the feeling. Don't allow your mind to hold the image of the thing because what tends to happen is the feeling that the best days are behind you. Your best days are always ahead of you. 

In the past, whenever I got myself overbooked, overworked and overstressed, I'd to start focusing on what was going wrong around me but now, in stead of letting that to continue, I begin to count my blessings. Counting my blessings raises my vibration every time and changes my mood and I feel lighter.

I hope this inspired you.

Don't let anyone steal you joy!

Maryam